Induction hobs?

[Alex321]

I did a quick look up the electricity generation mix and it looked like 40 something percent gas. It does raise the question on whether it is genuinely more green to burn gas to make electricity to then run your stove rather than heating your food with gas. Frankly I'd be surprised if the former is more efficient, though appreciate there's a cost (in energy, CO2 and money) in pumping gas round the country too. I read of efficiencies of gas turbines being 30-50% (one outlier suggested a rather implausible 80%) when driving a shaft. Don't know what the work to electricity efficiency of the dynamo is - maybe 90%?

Anyhow, so long as we're making a fair bit of out power from gas, then electric heating sounds a bit daft doesn't it?

Fair enough if your town doesn't have gas of course

The electricity generation mix is moving more towards renewables all the time. And of course, if (like us) you have solar panels o9r oher self-generation capacity, then it makes much more sense to use electricity to cook with than gas.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Had an Induction hob about last house and moved to this one and it was gas ! Hated it as it seemed slow to heat up etc . New kitchen last year and an induction hob was fitted . We went Miele with our appliances easy to control etc . However not cheap to run when doing a lot of cooking .

 

[slowmotion]

The only slight problem with them (as far as I'm concerned) is when cooking steak. I had a favourite method suggested by The Irish beef people where you lightly brush the steak with oil and drop it into an empty pre-heated griddle pan that is "hotter than the surface of the Sun". This worked really well on the gas hob we previously had but our induction hob cuts out if you introduce an empty pan so you can't reach the correct temperature.

 

[Alex321]

The only slight problem with them (as far as I'm concerned) is when cooking steak. I had a favourite method suggested by The Irish beef people where you lightly brush the steak with oil and drop it into an empty pre-heated griddle pan that is "hotter than the surface of the Sun". This worked really well on the gas hob we previously had but our induction hob cuts out if you introduce an empty pan so you can't reach the correct temperature.

How on earth does it know the pan is empty?

Ours doesn't do that, thankfully.

 

[slowmotion]

How on earth does it know the pan is empty?

Ours doesn't do that, thankfully.

I have absolutely no idea. It's just a weird behaviour that our hob exhibits.

 

[Alex321]

I have absolutely no idea. It's just a weird behaviour that our hob exhibits.

I wonder if it is maybe a temperature sensor, which "thinks" the base of the pan is getting too hot.

 

[si_c]

One additional benefit of induction hobs is a significant improvement in air quality. For most people this is not a huge issue, but gas stoves do produce significant levels of nitrous oxides as well as other small particulate matter and if you, for example, have asthma or other respiratory issues then moving to a fully electric hob can have health benefits.

 

[Profpointy]

One additional benefit of induction hobs is a significant improvement in air quality. For most people this is not a huge issue, but gas stoves do produce significant levels of nitrous oxides as well as other small particulate matter and if you, for example, have asthma or other respiratory issues then moving to a fully electric hob can have health benefits.

Are you sure about the oxides of nitrogen bit? Seems doubtful that burning a hydrocarbon would somehow oxidise the nitrogen in the air. Fair enough if burning wood or diesel as there's all sorts of non hydrocarbons mixed in. I'm open to persuasion, but it seems iffy at first sight

Particulates / smoke from frying would surely be far more relevant than any residual soot from burning methane, though if they don't get hot enough to actual fry properly then maybe that would be a reason.

 

[figbat]

Are you sure about the oxides of nitrogen bit? Seems doubtful that burning a hydrocarbon would somehow oxidise the nitrogen in the air. Fair enough if burning wood or diesel as there's all sorts of non hydrocarbons mixed in. I'm open to persuasion, but it seems iffy at first sight

Particulates / smoke from frying would surely be far more relevant than any residual soot from burning methane, though if they don't get hot enough to actual fry properly then maybe that would be a reason.

It’s where pretty much all combustion NOx comes from - oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen, not combustion of a nitrogen species in the fuel.

 

[Alex321]

Are you sure about the oxides of nitrogen bit? Seems doubtful that burning a hydrocarbon would somehow oxidise the nitrogen in the air. Fair enough if burning wood or diesel as there's all sorts of non hydrocarbons mixed in. I'm open to persuasion, but it seems iffy at first sight

Particulates / smoke from frying would surely be far more relevant than any residual soot from burning methane, though if they don't get hot enough to actual fry properly then maybe that would be a reason.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c04707
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-envi...ove-cooking-indoor-air-pollution-health-risks
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/04/25/the-truth-about-gas-stoves/

 

[Svendo]

I have absolutely no idea. It's just a weird behaviour that our hob exhibits.

I think it’s this. If I leave our kettle whistling with the ‘ring’ on full chat ‘P’(2kW the setting above 9) it’ll turn the whole job off after a bit. I assume it’s the water and kettle are in turn heating the hob which then cuts out. Ours is happier heating up pans which are empty although I don’t do it on flat out, maybe 8. Perhaps a heavier pan will slow the process down and allow the pan to get hotter?

 

[si_c]

It’s where pretty much all combustion NOx comes from - oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen, not combustion of a nitrogen species in the fuel.

I had no idea about this, but I did watch this video when it came out a couple of years ago and clearly retained some information from it.

 

[figbat]

I use a cast iron skillet for steaks and it will happily get smoking hot on its own, before adding anything to it.

 

[Profpointy]

I use a cast iron skillet for steaks and it will happily get smoking hot on its own, before adding anything to it.

Maybe more of a contender than I'd thought
I take it it's a good make and maybe 10 or 12kW for the while hob

 

[figbat]

Maybe more of a contender than I'd thought
I take it it's a good make and maybe 10 or 12kW for the while hob

It’s the hob built in to a Rangemaster cooker, 75cm wide, 5 ‘burners’. Not sure of the power consumption of just the hob.